Vehicle-tire.



PATENTED DEC. 17, 1907.

J. EGKHARD.

VEHICLE TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED 521m, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

JJkW/EC Zkard, 171/ No. 873,738. PATENTED DEC. 17, 1907 J. BGKHARD.

VEHICLE TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-7,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- elevate the same and permit their removal JOHN ECKHARD, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

VEHICLE-TIRE Specification (if Letters Patent.

" Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Application filed April 7 1906. -Serial No 3l0554.

T 0 all whom it may concern: Be it known that 1, JOHN ECKHARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo,

in the county of Eric and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Tires, of which the.fol lowing is a specification. 7

This invention relates to vehiclc-wheels and more particularly to the tires thereof and the manner of attaching the same to the wheel-folly.

The primary object of my invention is the production of a wheel-tire having a series of connected parts or members placed around the wheel-telly and connected thereto, and which embodies improved means for dctaohing two adjoining parts of the series without disturbing any of the remaining parts.

Another object is to provide a multi-part tire with end connections and securing means which on being detached, actagainst the adjacent ends of two adjoining parts to from the wheel without disturbing there.- rnaining parts.

Further objects are, to embed within the tire-parts, metallic or other rigid reinforcing means, to provide securing means and notches within the tire-parts for the reception of securing means engaging against the reinforced portions of the tire-parts; and to otherwise i iprovc on solid. rubber wheel tires now in use.

This invention primarily consists of a multipart tire having combined connecting and securing devices, and it further consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims;

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a vehicle-wheel equipped with my improved tire. F ig. 2 is a face view of the same. Fig. is a sectional elevation of a portion of a wheel, showing the manner of removing the tire-parts or members. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached perspective view of one of the tire-members. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of one of the combined connectors and fasteners for the tiremembers. Fig. 6 is an enlarged central longitudinal section through a portion of the rim and tire. Fig. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal section through a portion of the rim and tire, taken to one side of the longitudinal cent-er of the tire to show the securing bolts of the combined connectors and fasteners for the tire-members. Fig. 8 1s a transverse section of one of the tire-members. 9 is a transverse longitudinal sectionpf one of the tire-members, taken on a planeindicated by line z2, Fig.8. Fig. 10 is a perspective view ofthe reinforcing-device embedded in 4 each of the tire members.

Referring to the drawings in detail, cfii'-' responding numerals of reference refer to,

corresponding parts in the several figures.

The reference numeral 1 designates the hub of the wheel, 2 the rim 'or felly, and 3 the spokes connecting thehub and run, all of which are of common construction, and may be of any desired design.

A channeled tire retaining-member 4 is secured. to the face of the wheel-telly in any practicable manner, and within said retaining-rnember I place my improved multi-part tire 5. The various parts or members of the tire are designated by,the numeral 6; the

being connected and secured to the wheelfelly by combined connectors and fasteners 7. As this tire is particularly designed for general use, the parts thereof are molded from rubber, and the base reinforced with metallic or other reinforcing-devices 8, for the purpose of rendering the parts rigid where they are connected with, or in contact with the other parts of the wheel. By reinforcing the base only, the tire-parts retain their resiliency where needed.

In the particular embodiment of my invention illustrated, the tire-parts or members have their ends provided with curved undercut grooves 9 into which fit the crescentshaped connectors 10 having each two radially dis )osed fastening bolts ll'whieh fit within notches 12 in the ends of the tirc-parts and extend through perforations in the tire retaining-member and the wheehfelly; the inner projecting ends thereof having nuts 13 applied thereto. The outer transverse edges 14 of the tire-members are curved to provide transverse depressions 15 for the purpose ofv or lateral slipping.

The reinforcing devices embedded in thebase of the tiremembers,.comprise longitudinal T-bars 17 extending from end to end,

- and transversely disposed Wires or sman bars 18 extending from edge to edge and passin through erforations in the longitudina T-bar's. ear their ends, the T-bars: 17 are notched, as at 19, to conform to the curved undercut grooves 9, and fitting into saidnotches. are the-edges of the connectors 10.

By this construction, the connectersbear against the metallic reinIorcing-dev1ces,'and

wearingof the rubber at this oint is entirely I obviated-,4 Manifestly-bars different crossbe substituted for the TI-b ars of sectidn. ma

the reinforcing devices, and changes may be.

-made' otherwise in the construction ofsaid devices without detracting; from the' utility: .of the same. The ends of the tire-members between the notches 9 therein; and the curved innerbearing surface are beveled, as at 20, for

' apur'po'se to appear presently wheel, two members are cofinec t'ed and I placed within the tire retaining-member, the

astening bolts being passed throu h the retaining-member and the wheel-fely and thenuts applied thereto; theremaining tire-members mayjbe connected to op osite ends-of the firstgtwo members a plied and secured in themanfier stated. Tiie last two members are to be inclined in the manner shown in Fig. 3', and the elevated ends gradually lowered carrying the connector with at the base of the members is impossible, by

in the ends of the members.

them to cause the same toenter the ooves I As -t e tireniembers are forced inward, the beveled portions 20 at the ends provide the necessary clearance, and as compression of the rubber reason of the'reinforcing-device being em bedded therein, said beveled portions are essential to easy application' When said members are seated within the tire retainingmember and the nuts ap lied to the bolts, the tire is as efiect-ively held as any one-piece tire.

In removing the tire or any member of the tire, the nuts of the bolts on the connectors areremoved and the latter forced outward, which causes adjacent ends of two adjoining members to move outward with the connector, in the manner. shown in Fig. 3. When the connectors are free of the grooves 9 in the tiremembers, the latter may be. easily removed. In this manner, any worn member or members may be easily replaced With',a new member or members without removing any of the other members.

Many changes in construction, form, disposition, and location of parts may be re-' sorted to without departing from my invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is,

1 A tire ,for'wheels comp ising a retaining-member held to the felly of the wheel, a

mbers to the sas -38 multi-part tire within said retaining-member and each of the parts thereof having curved undercut grooves in the ends thereof, combinedconnect'ing and fastening-devices between the several parts of the tire comprisin each a crescent-shaped transversely-dispose cross-section having apertures at intervals and transversely-disposed members passed throu h said. apertures. V

.. 4. he combination with the wheel-felly, of a multi-part tire having a reinforcing-deyice embedded in each part thereof and havmg the ends of the parts provided with grooves, said reinforcing-devices including longitudinally-disposed bars extending from end to end of the tire-parts and connecting and fastening-devicesbetween the tire-parts having each a transversel -disposed member entering the grooves in'a jaeent ends of two adjoining parts and bearing against the longitudinally-dis osed bars of the reinforcing-devices in sai" parts, and bolts on said transversely-disposed members for securing the tire-parts to the wheel-felly.

5. The combination With the wheel-felly, of a multi-part tire having a reinforcin -device embeddedin each part thereof and aving the ends of the parts provided with curved undercut grooves, said reinforcingdevioes including longitudinally disposed bars extending from end toend of the tireparts and having notches near theirends to correspondwith the grooves in the ends of the the arts, and connecting and fastenin devices between the tire-parts having eac a transversely-disposed member crescent shaped in cross-section and inwardly disposed bolts, said crescent-shaped member entering the grooves in adjacent ends of two adjoining tire-parts and the notches in the longitudinally-disposed bars in said parts, and said bolts serving to secure the tire to the wheel-felly. 1

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN ECKHARD.

Witnesses:

MAY F. SEWERT, EMIL NEUHART.- 

